Depends. People mistake the purpose of exercise. The primary goal of exercise isn't to burn calories. The primary goal is to change the way your metabolism works, so that you can process food far more efficiently. If you exercise vigorously, it helps to change your sugar metabolism, making it easier to store more calories without converting them to fat, while reducing your insulin sensitivity, two very important aspects of health. Sugar (our most important source of calories) is stored in lean muscle, and thus, the more of it you have, the better your ability to handle its intake. If you eat sugar and can't store it due to lack of space, it gets converted to fat, which we basically don't have a storage cap for. So while diet is important, exercise is at least as important. I would skew that 90% figure pretty much to 50%.
I thoroughly appreciate your input. I clearly was considering things from a purely caloric point of view. I also know that doing things like lifting weights and building muscle mass will, in turn, increase your basic metabolism rate, so they benefit you over the long term and can potentially do things like give your diet more flexibility. I have been doing a plank challenge recently. I do find it hard to be as physically active as I'd like but I am also a wimp about the weather.
Yo that's why I built a gym in my condo. Weather don't mean shit to me anymore! But, unfortunately, I'm selling my place right now. In a matter of months I fear I'll be a lame suburbanite like the rest of the work-a-day world. No more 80s themed home gym for b_b :( Onward and upward. Marital bliss awaits!I do find it hard to be as physically active as I'd like but I am also a wimp about the weather.